MARS SHINSHU Komagatake 2023

Volume: 0.7 litres | Alcohol content: 50% | Chill filtration: No | Colouring: No

Special Features:

For Komagatake 2023 Edition, Hombo Shuzo combined malt whiskies matured in ex-bourbon, sherry and port wine casks, as well as other casks. This annual release appeared in 2023, with 51,642 bottles produced. It is bottled at 50% alcohol and comes in gift packaging.

Its fruit notes range from apricot and banana to dried plum and berries. Black tea, chocolate, hazelnut and maple syrup add bitter, nutty and sweet accents. The whisky contains no added colouring and is not chill-filtered.

Tasting Notes:

• Nose: On the nose, apricot, orange peel and banana are followed by notes of black tea. Vanilla and milk chocolate complete the aromas.
• Palate: The palate opens with dried plum, followed by hazelnut, maple syrup and ripe peach. There is also the full sweetness of ripe persimmon, berries and vanilla, alongside fresh, slightly bitter grapefruit and chocolate.
• Finish: The finish is rounded and sweet, with hints of baked treats and a light toasted note. A delicate bitterness accompanies the fresh aftertaste.

Distillery/Bottler:

Hombo Shuzo began producing whisky in 1949 under the guidance of Kiichiro Iwai. For the Mars Shinshu Distillery, which opened in 1985, the company moved distillation equipment from Yamanashi to Miyada, at the foot of Komagatake in Nagano Prefecture. The distillery stands at an altitude of 798 metres and has stainless-steel and wooden fermentation vessels. After a pause beginning in 1992, it resumed malt distillation in 2011; since 2024, it has been called Mars Komagatake Distillery. The malts for this original bottling were produced there.

Facts: